Roofs made of expanded polystyrene (EPS) modular panels are popular in the construction industry because they insulate well, are light in weight, and are easy to install because of their modular form.
EPS is a soft, easily damaged material. Accordingly, the top and bottom faces of the EPS core are usually covered by a thin skin of sheet metal; the sheet metal is bonded to the core by a suitable adhesive means. The metal sheets protect the core from abrasion and, advantageously, contiguous edges thereof may be bent into complementally interlocking forms to provide a means for interlocking abutting sections of the panels.
In many designs, the EPS core is also sculpted to provide supplemental locking means. In those designs, a groove may be formed in the edge of one panel and a corresponding tongue may be formed in the edge of an abutting panel. Thus, in a typical roof made of interlocked modular panels of the metal skin-covered EPS type, both the abutting foam cores and the contiguous metal skins will be interlocked with one another.
All of the designs are intended to facilitate the interlocking of the panels at the time the roof is laid down, and to provide as near a seamless fit as possible to inhibit to the greatest extent possible the intrusion of moisture into the space between the panels. However, most contractors use a caulking compound to seal the seam between the panels, regardless of how tightly fit together the contiguous interlocking panels are believed to be.
Despite the many attempts heretofore made, there remains a need for an interlocking panel construction that is easy to lock and which inhibits moisture penetration. More particularly, there remains a need for an interlocking panel design that is structurally simple so that it can be mass produced at low cost yet which is durable and effective.
The prior art, considered as a whole, neither teaches nor suggests to those of ordinary skill how the art of cabana panels could be further advanced.